Microsoft Sues To Fight Apple's "App Store" Trademark

Microsoft is filing a motion with the US Patent and Trademark
Office to prevent Apple from trademarking the expression "app
store." (Endgadget)

Apple wants
the ability to sue the pants off anyone else who uses the
expression "app store" within the context of software generally
-- which includes myriad companies. Microsoft
says the expression "app store" is much too generic to be
trademarked. The word themselves are generic, and people have
been using it the expression a general way to refer to the
concept. In a nice zing, Microsoft uses as an example none other
than Steve Jobs himself, who slammed the fragmentation of
Google's
Android
by saying they have too many "app stores."

Even though they're clearly filing the motion for self-interested
reasons, we have to agree with Microsoft here. Apple was early
with the app store and clearly still has the better execution,
but this is like Microsoft trying to trademark not just "Windows"
but "operating system." What's more, European startup GetJar
Networks has had a mobile app store since 2003.